Newcastle United will face off against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening hoping to pull off an upset and progress into the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Magpies suffered a 2-1 loss at home to Leicester City last weekend, so they will be desperate to bounce back by putting on a good showing versus the Gunners later this week.
Steve Bruce will probably set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make some changes to his side for this cup encounter on the road. Jonjo Shelvey, Emil Krafth, Jeff Hendrick and Javier Manquillo could all return to the Newcastle first-team as Bruce looks to rest some of his senior players this weekend.
4-2-3-1 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Arsenal
Defence
Karl Darlow will lineup in goal for the Magpies after shipping in two goals versus the Foxes in his previous outing. Ciaran Clark is expected to partner Fabian Schar at the centre of Bruce’s defence as they look to limit the chances Arsenal create during the 90 minutes.
Emil Krafth could return to feature as the right-back while Javier Manquillo fills in on the other side as a makeshift left-back. Bruce will ask them to maintain a solid shape inside their half and stop the Gunners wide men from getting in behind them out on the wide areas.
Both DeAndre Yedlin and Matt Ritchie will be rested on the bench as they provide cover for the full-back positions.
Midfield
Sean Longstaff and Jonjo Shelvey will function as the holding midfielders as they focus on stopping the North London outfit from dominating possession at the centre of the park. The hard-working trio of Joelinton, Miguel Almiron and Jeff Hendrick will play just ahead of them as part of the Newcastle attack.
Matty Longstaff and Jacob Murphy will be available for selection on Bruce’s bench and could come on to influence the game in the second 45 minutes if required.
Attack
Callum Wilson will lead the line for the Magpies up top. The English frontman will once again carry most of his team’s goal-scoring workload in the final third. He will have to find a way to cause a few problems for the Gunners defenders on Saturday evening.
Andy Carroll will have to be content with a spot on the bench as he waits for his chance to make an impact in the latter stages of the game if Bruce decides to use him.
